Chapter 3: Educational Policies
- Adoption: 2/9/23
- Revised:
- Last Reviewed: 12/14/2022 (AASC)
- Executive Team Approved: 12/20/2022
- Next Review Date: 12/20/2027
- Authority: Hennepin Technical College
- Custodian of Policy: Vice President of Academic & Student Affairs
Academic Affairs Accessibility Policy Statement
Definitions
Accessibility. In an education setting, accessibility is a proactive approach to ensuring that learning experiences are as free from barriers for students as possible. Accessibility is giving forethought to how courses are designed. It is applying pedagogical approaches such as universal design for learning principles and technical standards such as section 508 and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0. It helps instructors and the college meet the requirement that courses are accessible on day one for students, and reduces the time students may have to wait for the college to provide accommodations.
Accommodation. Accommodations, which is part of accessibility, are adaptations made in the learning environment, curriculum format, or equipment that allows a specific individual with a disability to gain access to content or to complete assigned tasks. Accommodations are things the college does during
instruction to meet a specific and unique need of a student that isn’t able to be addressed ahead of time. Examples of an accommodation would be extended time on a quiz or examination on the request of a learner with a documented disability, or a sign language interpreter for a learner who is deaf.
Reasonable accommodations are modifications that enables qualified students with a disability to have equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from college programs and services. The purpose of
effective accommodations is to increase a student’s chances for success. Accommodations are granted on a case by case basis and is dependent on the needs of the student. However, typical accommodations include but is not limited to: extended time for an exam, alternate location for an exam materials in alternate formats such as enlarged print or electronic text.
Exception. A reason to not apply the standard to a particular situation.
Policy
State of Minnesota law requires state agencies to adhere to federal standards for accessible documents and websites. Hennepin Technical College, a member of the Minnesota State system, is committed to ensuring the accessibility of its programs and academic resources, both on-campus and online, as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act, Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.
Some students may not be able to see, hear or process information in particular formats, may have difficulty reading or understanding text, or may not be able to use a keyboard or a mouse. At HTC, “accessible” means that students with disabilities are able to independently acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services within the same time frame as students without disabilities, with substantially equivalent ease of use. This accessibility standard is applied to, but not limited to on-campus classrooms, campus labs, D2L Brightspace course sites, required third-party courseware, co-curricular learning space on-campus, and required off-campus internship and externship learning spaces. All faculty and staff who are responsible for creating, modifying, procuring, or otherwise making available any academic information or content for students for internal or external use must apply the accessibility standard to their work.
This accessibility standard does not apply to external web pages or physical spaces not maintained by or outside the editorial control of HTC, its faculty, and its staff. External web sites and learning spaces are included in the standard where student access is required. Links to external websites should be clearly indicated in such a way that it is clear before clicking the link that the destination is not maintained by HTC.
Exceptions
Undue Burden. This exception type is defined by MN Statute (16E.015, subd. 4). Undue burden means significant difficulty or expense determined and documented the owner of the content, including but not limited to difficulty or expense associated with technical feasibility.